Reports of BRAC’s death have not been greatly exaggerated, at least according to the chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee. On Tuesday, Sen. Carl Levin (D-Mich.) said he didn’t expect the Obama administration to request new base closure rounds in its fiscal 2014 budget request since Congress already made it clear last year that it was opposed to authorizing additional BRAC rounds …
About 94 percent of the Navy’s more than 200,000 civilian employees will be forced to take unpaid days off before Sept. 30, according to guidance sent to senior officials. Employees most likely will be placed on furlough for 14 days, after the Pentagon determined last month that the fiscal 2013 spending bill provided sufficient operations funds to avoid requiring workers to take 22 unpaid days off. Furloughs are expected to begin in June. Despite alleviating some of the impact of the automatic spending cuts, “decisions need to be made on what we can keep, what can be rebalanced and which ship and aircraft maintenance can be deferred,” the guidance said, reported the Washington Post.
As in past years, the two chambers’ Appropriations committees will make a good-faith effort to pass individual spending bills for the upcoming fiscal year, but there still is a strong likelihood that political realities will force lawmakers to rely on continuing resolutions to fund the government. The primary wrinkle this year will be determining the topline for discretionary spending in fiscal 2014. That cap is $1.058 trillion under recent budget control laws, but sequestration would reduce that figure to about $966 billion in FY 2014 …
To overcome lawmakers’ resistance to approving a new round of base closures, the Pentagon should identify from the outset what installations it is considering closing or realigning, Todd Harrison, an analyst at the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments, told reporters Friday. “DOD needs to come at Congress with more specific plans,” Harrison said, reported Foreign Policy. What’s needed is a detailed plan mapped down to the congressional district. The vast majority of members of Congress won’t be hurt …
The Department of Veterans Affairs would receive a 4 percent boost in discretionary funding under President Obama’s fiscal 2014 budget request, a reflection of his commitment to deal with the growing backlog of veterans’ claims and help returning service members transition to civilian life, according to White House and VA officials. “The president has made clear that this is a national priority,” White House Chief of Staff Denis McDonough said at briefing Friday with VA Secretary Eric Shinseki …
While many lawmakers have cited the upfront costs associated with carrying out base closures as an argument against authorizing a new BRAC round at a time when the Pentagon is being forced to slash spending, one defense analyst believes shuttering excess facilities is one key structural reform the military needs to implement to rein in its budget. “No business in America would be satisfied operating for a decade with 21 percent excess facilities,” said Todd Harrison, an analyst at the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments …
As the administrators of the DOD Education Activity’s 194 schools plan for cancelling classes during furlough days, affected teachers worry about the impact on their students. Many teachers — who like most DOD civilian employees will be subject to 14 furlough days through the end of September — wonder about a plan that will force about 84,000 military dependents to lose up to three weeks of school …
For the second time in a month, a House subcommittee is scheduled to hear testimony from the Pentagon’s top installation officials about the need for a new BRAC round. But unlike the hearing held last month by the House Armed Services’ Readiness Subcommittee, next week the House Appropriations’ Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Subcommittee will have an opportunity to hear from DOD witnesses after the White House has unveiled its fiscal 2014 budget proposal …
Army officials will solicit comments from community leaders and other residents about the potential impacts of the service’s plan to trim its end strength by 80,000 soldiers during listening sessions scheduled at 30 locations throughout April. “The Army values community input to make the best decisions and to mitigate, as much as possible, the impact on local communities,” said Army spokeswoman Lt. Col. Peggy Kageleiry …
In his first major policy speech since taking office, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel on Wednesday warned of the need for making fundamental changes in overhead, personnel and acquisition costs as the Pentagon faces the prospect of cutting up to $1 trillion in projected spending over the coming decade. “This effort will by necessity consider big choices that could lead to fundamental change and a further prioritization of the use of our resources …